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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Seoul Metropolitan Area
The Seoul Metropolitan Area (Sudogwon; Korean: 수도권, [sʰu.do.k͈wʌ̹n]) or Gyeonggi region (경기 지방), is the metropolitan area of Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, located in north-west South Korea. Its population of 26 million (as of 2024) is ranked as the fourth largest metropolitan area in the world. Its area is about 12,685 km (4,898 sq mi). It forms the cultural, commercial, financial, industrial, and residential center of South Korea. The largest city is Seoul, with a population of approximately 10 million people, followed by Incheon, with 3 million inhabitants.

Geography and climate

Satellite image of Seoul and greater area (2020)
See also: Geography of South Korea

The Capital Area occupies a plain in the Han River valley.

History

See also: History of South Korea and History of Seoul

Demographics

See also: Demographics of South Korea
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19494,171,614—    
19605,194,167+24.5%
19708,730,148+68.1%
198013,298,241+52.3%
199018,586,128+39.8%
200021,354,490+14.9%
201023,836,272+11.6%
202026,043,325+9.3%
Source:

Covering only about 12% of the country's area, the Seoul Metropolitan Area is home to more than 48.2% of the national population, and is the world's ninth largest urban area. This percentage has risen steadily since the mid-20th century, and the trend is expected to continue. Currently more than half of the people who move from one region to another are moving to the capital area. In 2020, it was reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Area's population had exceeded 50% of the country's total population, with 25,925,799 people living in the area (50.002% of the total 51,849,861).

Economy

See also: Economy of South Korea and Category:Companies based in Seoul
Subdivision Area km Population GDP (KR₩) GDP (US$)
 Gyeonggi Province 10,184 13,511,676 ₩ 547 trillion US$ 437.6 billion
 Seoul 605 9,586,195 ₩ 486 trillion US$ 388.8 billion
 Incheon 1,063 2,945,454 ₩ 104 trillion US$ 83.2 billion
Seoul Metropolitan Area 11,852 26,043,325 ₩ 1,137 trillion US$ 909.6 billion

In 2020, Seoul Metropolitan Area's Gross Regional Product was around US$900 billion, generating around half of the country's total GDP. It is the fourth largest urban economy in the world after Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles but ahead of Paris and London. The region hosts headquarters of 59 Forbes Global 2000 companies. As the economy of Seoul Metropolitan Area transformed to knowledge economy from the manufacturing-based economy of the 20th century, there are a number of high-tech business parks in Seoul Metropolitan Area, such as Digital Media City and Pangyo Techno Valley.

Industrial Clusters in Seoul Metropolitan Area

The Seoul Metropolitan Area is home to the most affluent and livable cities and apartments in Korea but there are significant discrepancies between cities and districts, particularly between those built in the older and newer generations. Newer areas with more modern and luxurious apartments and infrastructure are more expensive, along with proximity to Gangnam District, the commercial center of the region.

Government

See also: Government of South Korea

Various agencies have been set up to deal with the intergovernmental problems of the region. Proposals for consolidating some or all of the cities of the capital area into a handful of metropolitan cities have thus far not been implemented.

Development in the area is currently governed by the Capital Region Readjustment Planning Act (수도권정비계획법), first passed in 1982 and last revised in 1996.

Subdivisions

See also: Administrative divisions of South Korea
Bundang, Seongnam
Anyang, Gyeonggi Province

The Seoul Metropolitan Area is divided among the special city of Seoul, the metropolitan city of Incheon, and province of Gyeonggi. Seoul has 25 gu (local government wards), Incheon has 8 gu and 2 counties, and Gyeonggi Province has 28 cities and 3 counties as the subdivisions.

Seoul

Main article: List of districts of Seoul
Further information: Seoul

The 25 districts of Seoul.

Incheon

Main article: List of districts and counties of Incheon
Further information: Incheon

The eight districts and two counties of Incheon.

Gyeonggi-do

Main article: List of cities and counties of Gyeonggi Province

There are twenty-eight cities and three counties in Gyeonggi-do. Below are seven of the largest cities, sorted by their population size:

Suwon

Further information: Suwon

The four gu of Suwon (수원; 水原).

Goyang

Further information: Goyang

The three gu of Goyang (고양; 高陽).

Yongin

Further information: Yongin

The three gu of Yongin (용인; 龍仁).

Seongnam

Further information: Seongnam

The three gu of Seongnam (성남; 城南).

Bucheon

Further information: Bucheon

Ansan

Further information: Ansan

The two gu of Ansan (안산; 安山)

Anyang

Further information: Anyang, Gyeonggi

The two gu of Anyang (안양; 安養)

Transportation

See also: Transport in South Korea and Transportation in Seoul

The cities of the capital area are tightly interconnected by road and rail. Many of the country's railroad lines, most notably the Gyeongbu Line, terminate in the region. In addition, rapid transit is provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, which has lines that serve all districts of Seoul, as well as the city of Incheon and other surrounding cities within Gyeonggi Province.

The region is a nexus for travel by air and water. The country's two largest airports, Incheon International Airport and Gimpo International Airport, are in the metropolitan area. International and domestic ferries depart from Incheon's ferry terminals several times a day.

Seoul Ring Expressway (Expressway No. 100) connects satellite cities around Seoul.

  • Incheon International Airport
    Incheon International Airport
  • Seoul Metropolitan subway, Line 3
    Seoul Metropolitan subway, Line 3
  • Map of Seoul Ring Expressway
    Map of Seoul Ring Expressway

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_nw/1/13/2/index.board?bmode=read&bSeq=&aSeq=379534&pageNo=1&rowNum=10&navCount=10&currPg=&searchInfo=&sTarget=title&sTxt=%7Ctitle=2018년 지역소득(잠정).
  2. ^ "2022년 지역소득(잠정)". www.kostat.go.kr.
  3. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  4. ^ Chase, David (1960). "A Limited Archæological Survey of the Han River Valley in Central Korea". Asian Perspectives. 4 (1/2): 141–149. ISSN 0066-8435. JSTOR 42927497.
  5. ^ "Population Census". Statistics Korea.
  6. ^ "Greater Seoul population exceeds 50% of S. Korea for first time". english.hani.co.kr. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  7. ^ "South Korean Won to US Dollar Spot Exchange Rates for 2022". www.exchangerates.org.uk.
  8. ^ "Global Wealth GDP Nominal Distribution: Who Are The Leaders Of The Global Economy? - Full Size". www.visualcapitalist.com. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  9. ^ "The World's Largest Public Companies". Forbes.
  10. ^ "미군 잔류로 낙후된 동두천, 특별법 제정해야". www.yonhapnews.co.kr. 2014-12-23.
  11. ^ "The Statistic of Seoul". Seoul Solution. 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  12. ^ "Getting around Seoul is easy for first-timers with these simple tips". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  13. ^ "Seoul public transportation - Seoul metro maps |". Official Website of the. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  14. ^ "Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal". www.icferry.or.kr. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  15. ^ "First DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel coming to Korea". koreatimes. 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
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